Matthew Perry turns 48: 7 interesting facts about the Friends star every Chandler Bing fan should know

Matthew Perry is best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the hit TV sitcom Friends. His biting sarcasm and wit made him one of the most popular characters of the show.

As the king of wit turns 48 today, we bring to you some lesser-known facts every Chandler Bing fan should know:

• You may see him as an amazing actor, but few know Perry had a keen interest in tennis. He ranked nationally in junior tennis in Canada. He revealed in one of his interviews that he tried to play in the United States as well, but could not progress far.

• Matthew Perry lost the tip of his right middle finger when his grandfather closed a car door on it by accident.

• Perry was the youngest cast member of Friends, and the only one among the six main leads of the show who was allowed to sit with the writers as he himself is good with jokes. In fact, the directors even used his gags and suggestions on the show.

• His parents got divorced before his first birthday. His mother Suzanne Marie Morrison is a Canadian journalist and was press secretary to former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. His father John Bennett Perry is an American actor and former model.

• Matthew Perry dated actress Julia Roberts from 1995-1996, Yasmine Bleeth in 1996-97, Lauren Graham in 2003, and Lizzy Caplan from 2006 to 2012.

• Perry was heavily addicted to alcohol and drugs. He even had to go into rehabilitation to overcome the issue. He has said in interviews that he does not even remember filing some episodes of Friends because he was under the influence of alcohol and narcotics. Later, in May 2013, he received a Champion of Recovery award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening Perry House — a sober living home situated in his former mansion in Malibu, California.

• When he went to the audition for the part of Chandler Bing, he didn't require a script because he knew it by heart as he was helping a friend to get the part before the audition.